I was a customer who was assaulted and humiliated by the staff at Loews Hotel
Complaint
D.C
Country: United States
I came into the restaurant to buy a drink and some food from the bar menu (because the restaurant was closed), but instead the staff at Sole Food Restaurant and Bar and The Loews Hotel made me feel completely unwelcomed and uncomfortable. I was humiliated, discriminated against and assaulted by Loews staff in front of other customers, hotel guest in the lobby and passer-byers outside the hotel. After this ordeal I am afraid to go into a posh restaurant, because I don’t want to be accused of being a prostitute and tossed around like a dirty mop by security ( the way I was at the Sole Food Restaurant and Bar/Loews Hotel). I was wrongfully accused and judged by Loews Hotel, and Sole Food and Bar staff. I am a light weight, 5 foot 2inch female in her late 20s and I did not deserve to be roughed up by a 300 pound man( that was working as security at the Restaurant and Hotel) for something I have never done in my life. All I wanted to do was treat myself and enjoy the posh scenery at a nice place after a long , gruesome day and evening at work.
Here is what happened:
On Wednesday, July 25, 2012 around 11:30 p.m., I walked through the side lobby of Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, on 1200 Market Street. There was a movie going to be shot and the sign in front of the restaurant that said to enter the Sole Food Restaurant and Bar,( which is located beside and inside of Loews) you have to go around through another entrance.
The restaurant portion of Sole Food was closed, so I went to the bar, which was really crowded that night, intending to get dinner and something to drink. I noticed I was the only black woman in there.
I saw there was a stool open at the bar, and there was a white, middle-aged, dark-haired man standing next to the stool. I approached him and asked him if he was sitting there. When he replied, no, go ahead, I sat. There were three bartenders behind the bar, but when I sat, two bartenders moved away, and a third bartender moved to the far right of the bar, away from me, talking to another patron at the end of the bar. I tried flagging the bartender’s attention to my right, and an older white gentleman seated to my right asked me if I was an actress in the movie (outside of Loews was movie production equipment). He told me he was a firefighter there for a firefighter convention and kept trying to spark conversation, but we didn’t talk after that. I was too busy trying to get the attention of a bartender , but I was ignored. A few minutes later, a tall, heavy-set white man approached me wearing an ear piece. He approached me with two black men on each side. He asked me in a demanding voice to get up and move with them to a corner of the restaurant to speak with them. I asked why. He shouted, “Excuse ma’am, you need to come over here with us (pointing toward a dark corner), we need to talk to you for a second.” I asked them what was wrong. He shouted again, “Get up, we need to talk to you.” I asked why again. He got even angrier and shouted again that I had to come with them. I told them I was there to order a drink. When he shouted a third or fourth time, “You need to get up, you need to talk to us,” that’s when I got up.
The white, heavyset man did not identify himself, yet he got on my left side, and one of the two men he was with got behind me. They ushered me to the exit of Sole Food, while the heavyset white guy shouted at me, “This is a criminal matter, and you’re not allowed to come in here again.” I asked what criminal matter. He yelled, “You’re working, you’re working” loud enough for everybody to hear. I asked him what he was talking about. By then, we were outside of Loews on Market Street and I kept asking what he meant. When we were outside, one of the black security guys named Melvin told me the manager of the restaurant didn’t want to serve me because she believed I was a prostitute. I asked him what he was talking about. He kept saying the manager didn’t want to serve me.
I pulled out some paper and a pen and asked for Melvin’s name, and he told me his name was Melvin Roach. I asked Melvin and I asked the other black gentleman’s name and it was Martin Allen , but once I asked for the white heavyset man’s name who escorted me out Melvin said he would not give me his name. I wanted everyone’s name.
Melvin asked me ( in a mean tone of voice ) for my name. I replied to Melvin that I didn’t feel comfortable giving my name to him. When I refused to give him my name, Melvin told me since I refused, I had to leave from in front of Loews. I said to Melvin that I didn’t have to go anywhere. Melvin told me he was going to the police officer, who was standing a few feet away, to remove me. I went with him to talk to the police officer, too.
Before I could even say anything to the officer , Melvin (who is the security man at Loews) had painted me as a criminal to the police officer and I had told the police officer that I was discriminated against, and all I wanted was the names of the security people. The police officer told me that all I needed to write down is that it was Loews security that removed me. That’s when I felt helpless and that no one was trying to help me.
I went back into Loews to the front desk, I saw a black woman named Teneka and asked for the manager, and she told me she was a manager. I began telling her what was going on, and what I was accused of. I told her they embarrassed me and humiliated me in front of the whole restaurant. That’s when Teneka told me to hold on, and she would get the restaurant manager for me. She came back in a minute with the Sole Food manager, Marie Piraino.
I told Marie Piraino what happened in the restaurant and I wanted to know if she said I was soliciting sex. Once she told me that her bartenders recognize me as someone who has left with men, I pulled out my video phone to record the rest of the false accusations she was making about me. I asked her why I was asked to leave. I was trying to plead my case and that I didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. I was there to pay for my drink and get something to eat, and I was denied service.
I kept telling her that I am not a prostitute and I have never done that , but Miss Piraino said to me,
“ We have to go by our judgment” , and I kept pleading that I was not a prostitute. Miss Piraino said to me, “ Our bartenders recognize you as someone that solicits men.” I questioned that. Miss Piraino asked if I was there before, and I told her that I haven’t been in Sole Food in years.
I wanted an answer why they would treat me like the way they were treating me. She told me again I was denied service because the bartenders recognize me as someone who solicits men.
Then Teneka interrupted and told me that Miss Piraino didn’t want me in there , so I have to leave. Teneka told me she called security and they were on their way. I said calmly, “ok, that’s no problem”.
I wanted to make sure I got Marie’s full name before I left. I was leaving when the white, heavyset security guy reappeared with the two other security people. The white heavy-set security guy started pushing me from behind. As he was pushing me, he told the other two security were going to arrest me. He purposely stepped on the back of my shoe and that caused me to fall around. When I got up, he kept pushing me outside the door. I started to get afraid. I began screaming get off of me, because I was being shoved around and was afraid he would hurt me . He shoved me outside the hotel, and then slammed the door.
I was so angry and shaken up. I spotted to the same police officer walking down that I had spoken to earlier. I was walking over to complain to the police officer about what happened. The white heavy-set security guy came outside again and the police officer asked him what happened. The white, heavyset security guard told the police officer that I got kicked out because “She was soliciting sex.”
After the cop left me to fend for myself, Melvin and the white heavyset security guy were standing there laughing at me. I began yelling at the white, heavy-set security guy and he began touching his side, and said “I’m going to shoot you. Yea, I’m going to shoot you and I’m sure I’ll be doing the world a favor.”
I looked to Melvin and asked him how he can stand there and let a man put his hands on a woman, and Melvin replied, “This is why my wife is white, I don’t like black women.”
I began looking for the police officer again. I found him around 12:40 AM sitting in a police van, double-parked out front of Loews.
I told him that I wanted to file a police report, telling him I was assaulted. He took my name and address. Other than that, he didn’t take any information down. I saw him make a call to report a disturbance, and in turn, he supplied with a police report number. He took no information but my name and address. The police officer told me he wasn’t going to take sides, and it didn’t matter to him. He refused to take my statement. That’s when I walked away and went to my car, and that was around 12:56 AM. I have video of what the cop said and what the Sole Food restaurant manager told me.
Here is what happened:
On Wednesday, July 25, 2012 around 11:30 p.m., I walked through the side lobby of Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, on 1200 Market Street. There was a movie going to be shot and the sign in front of the restaurant that said to enter the Sole Food Restaurant and Bar,( which is located beside and inside of Loews) you have to go around through another entrance.
The restaurant portion of Sole Food was closed, so I went to the bar, which was really crowded that night, intending to get dinner and something to drink. I noticed I was the only black woman in there.
I saw there was a stool open at the bar, and there was a white, middle-aged, dark-haired man standing next to the stool. I approached him and asked him if he was sitting there. When he replied, no, go ahead, I sat. There were three bartenders behind the bar, but when I sat, two bartenders moved away, and a third bartender moved to the far right of the bar, away from me, talking to another patron at the end of the bar. I tried flagging the bartender’s attention to my right, and an older white gentleman seated to my right asked me if I was an actress in the movie (outside of Loews was movie production equipment). He told me he was a firefighter there for a firefighter convention and kept trying to spark conversation, but we didn’t talk after that. I was too busy trying to get the attention of a bartender , but I was ignored. A few minutes later, a tall, heavy-set white man approached me wearing an ear piece. He approached me with two black men on each side. He asked me in a demanding voice to get up and move with them to a corner of the restaurant to speak with them. I asked why. He shouted, “Excuse ma’am, you need to come over here with us (pointing toward a dark corner), we need to talk to you for a second.” I asked them what was wrong. He shouted again, “Get up, we need to talk to you.” I asked why again. He got even angrier and shouted again that I had to come with them. I told them I was there to order a drink. When he shouted a third or fourth time, “You need to get up, you need to talk to us,” that’s when I got up.
The white, heavyset man did not identify himself, yet he got on my left side, and one of the two men he was with got behind me. They ushered me to the exit of Sole Food, while the heavyset white guy shouted at me, “This is a criminal matter, and you’re not allowed to come in here again.” I asked what criminal matter. He yelled, “You’re working, you’re working” loud enough for everybody to hear. I asked him what he was talking about. By then, we were outside of Loews on Market Street and I kept asking what he meant. When we were outside, one of the black security guys named Melvin told me the manager of the restaurant didn’t want to serve me because she believed I was a prostitute. I asked him what he was talking about. He kept saying the manager didn’t want to serve me.
I pulled out some paper and a pen and asked for Melvin’s name, and he told me his name was Melvin Roach. I asked Melvin and I asked the other black gentleman’s name and it was Martin Allen , but once I asked for the white heavyset man’s name who escorted me out Melvin said he would not give me his name. I wanted everyone’s name.
Melvin asked me ( in a mean tone of voice ) for my name. I replied to Melvin that I didn’t feel comfortable giving my name to him. When I refused to give him my name, Melvin told me since I refused, I had to leave from in front of Loews. I said to Melvin that I didn’t have to go anywhere. Melvin told me he was going to the police officer, who was standing a few feet away, to remove me. I went with him to talk to the police officer, too.
Before I could even say anything to the officer , Melvin (who is the security man at Loews) had painted me as a criminal to the police officer and I had told the police officer that I was discriminated against, and all I wanted was the names of the security people. The police officer told me that all I needed to write down is that it was Loews security that removed me. That’s when I felt helpless and that no one was trying to help me.
I went back into Loews to the front desk, I saw a black woman named Teneka and asked for the manager, and she told me she was a manager. I began telling her what was going on, and what I was accused of. I told her they embarrassed me and humiliated me in front of the whole restaurant. That’s when Teneka told me to hold on, and she would get the restaurant manager for me. She came back in a minute with the Sole Food manager, Marie Piraino.
I told Marie Piraino what happened in the restaurant and I wanted to know if she said I was soliciting sex. Once she told me that her bartenders recognize me as someone who has left with men, I pulled out my video phone to record the rest of the false accusations she was making about me. I asked her why I was asked to leave. I was trying to plead my case and that I didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. I was there to pay for my drink and get something to eat, and I was denied service.
I kept telling her that I am not a prostitute and I have never done that , but Miss Piraino said to me,
“ We have to go by our judgment” , and I kept pleading that I was not a prostitute. Miss Piraino said to me, “ Our bartenders recognize you as someone that solicits men.” I questioned that. Miss Piraino asked if I was there before, and I told her that I haven’t been in Sole Food in years.
I wanted an answer why they would treat me like the way they were treating me. She told me again I was denied service because the bartenders recognize me as someone who solicits men.
Then Teneka interrupted and told me that Miss Piraino didn’t want me in there , so I have to leave. Teneka told me she called security and they were on their way. I said calmly, “ok, that’s no problem”.
I wanted to make sure I got Marie’s full name before I left. I was leaving when the white, heavyset security guy reappeared with the two other security people. The white heavy-set security guy started pushing me from behind. As he was pushing me, he told the other two security were going to arrest me. He purposely stepped on the back of my shoe and that caused me to fall around. When I got up, he kept pushing me outside the door. I started to get afraid. I began screaming get off of me, because I was being shoved around and was afraid he would hurt me . He shoved me outside the hotel, and then slammed the door.
I was so angry and shaken up. I spotted to the same police officer walking down that I had spoken to earlier. I was walking over to complain to the police officer about what happened. The white heavy-set security guy came outside again and the police officer asked him what happened. The white, heavyset security guard told the police officer that I got kicked out because “She was soliciting sex.”
After the cop left me to fend for myself, Melvin and the white heavyset security guy were standing there laughing at me. I began yelling at the white, heavy-set security guy and he began touching his side, and said “I’m going to shoot you. Yea, I’m going to shoot you and I’m sure I’ll be doing the world a favor.”
I looked to Melvin and asked him how he can stand there and let a man put his hands on a woman, and Melvin replied, “This is why my wife is white, I don’t like black women.”
I began looking for the police officer again. I found him around 12:40 AM sitting in a police van, double-parked out front of Loews.
I told him that I wanted to file a police report, telling him I was assaulted. He took my name and address. Other than that, he didn’t take any information down. I saw him make a call to report a disturbance, and in turn, he supplied with a police report number. He took no information but my name and address. The police officer told me he wasn’t going to take sides, and it didn’t matter to him. He refused to take my statement. That’s when I walked away and went to my car, and that was around 12:56 AM. I have video of what the cop said and what the Sole Food restaurant manager told me.
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